It was another glorious day in Ponyville and just about everypony (and creature from the school) was out to enjoy it. Pegasai soared overhead alongside the odd changeling, griffon, dragon, or hippogriff. A donkey, a yak, and a griffon all walked into a bar, and the earth ponies carrying it apologized and helped them up.
I like all the activity. Ponyville is so lively ever since the Friendship School opened a few years back. The actual population isn't any bigger really but so many new creatures visit all the time. It means good business for most of town. Everycreature who comes through from distant lands wants a taste of Equestria and Ponyville's shops are happy to sell it to them. Apple Bloom says Sweet Apple Acres is doing better than it has in years. All in all, it's a good time to be in Ponyville.
“Hey, quit hogging all the ketchup.”
“I ain't hoggin' it. There's plenty to go around.”
So long as you don't get between Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Recently they started getting weirdly competitive, even for them. I'm not sure who keeps starting it. One moment everything is quiet, the next they're glaring at each other. We were having lunch together at the open-air cafe, as usual. Not a day goes by that I'm not glad that the older students at Ponyville High are allowed to leave the school on lunch break. It makes Scootaloo's absence from classes a lot easier to cope with.
“That fry is more ketchup than fry. It's a ketchup fry that somepony dropped a piece of hay in.”
“Do you think you could actually make ketchup fries?” I wondered aloud.
“No!”
I blinked a few times at just how intense their unanimous answer was. After a second or two I shrugged it off and levitated myself another fry. I must have pretty weird tastes because everypony acts really funny whenever I start talking about cooking. It's starting to feel a little personal, if I'm being honest. Like that one time I offered Princess Twilight some breakfast at the Boutique. She just kept asking “How!?” over and over again until Rarity led her out of the kitchen.
“Seriously, AB, why don't you just drink the ketchup and I'll eat the fries.”
But if I drew lines of ketchup on a sheet pan and baked them could I actually make ketchup fries? Something to try later.
“So, y'all looking forward ta tonight?” Apple Bloom asked while plunging a fry extra deep into her ketchup and making unblinking eye contact with Scootaloo.
“You know it,” Scootaloo answered, glaring back just as hard while she took a fistful of fries. “When is Rarity leaving town, again?”
“Soon! She's getting on the 1:20 to Canterlot and she'll be gone until Monday evening! We'll have the place to ourselves all weekend. She did make me Pinkie Promise that we'd stay out of her work rooms though so… we're basically only allowed to hang out in my room and the kitchen. What do you girls want to do, anyway?”
“I'ummo,” Scootaloo said around a large mouthful of deep-fried hay. “Whl fink uf sumfin.”
“Huh, y'all remember back when we'd always answer a question like that with 'Crusadin'?'” Apple Bloom asked.
“Yeah,” I sighed fondly, then smirked. “But I think you'd probably have said 'Crusaderin''.”
“Good times.”
Scootaloo swallowed and stuck her tongue out in disgust. “Don't say 'good times' like that. You sound like an old lady.”
“I do not!”
“Do too!”
I levitated the last, pretty tiny fry off the platter, popped it in my mouth, and stood up to stretch and go pay the bill. Apple Bloom and I probably had enough time to make it back to school before lunch ended but it was better safe than sorry. My friends followed my lead, still arguing nonstop. As usual, they'd demolished most of the platter. That's the good thing about sharing meals with those two: I have no chance of gaining weight while they're around. Well, no chance of gaining it most places.
And speaking of food…
“I thought I might make us some dinner tonight,” I said as we started to move away from the table. “Any requests?”
“What!?”
“No way!”
I frowned and crossed my arms. They didn't have to sound so frightened. “A simple 'that's thoughtful of you, Sweetie Belle' would be nice.”
“Er, thoughtful…? Thing is, Sweetie…” Apple Bloom began only for Scootaloo to cut her off when she threw her arm around her shoulders. Or as close as she could get with her feet on the ground while being half a head shorter.
“Leave dinner to us! I mean, come on, it's your birthday party, right?”
Apple Bloom nodded vigorously. “Yeah, ain't right that you should hafta feed us when this whole thing is fer you.”
“You can just kick back and chillax. You won't have to lift a finger. Or a horn… glow… thing. You know what I mean.”
“Y'all can even go all Rarity and lay back on a fancy lookin' couch the whole time if ya like.”
“I'm not feeding you grapes, though.”
My frown melted away into a smile. “Aww, you girls are the best!” I reached out and pulled my fellow Crusaders into a tight hug. No wonder they'd been all skittish! They'd probably been planning to surprise me with something special the whole time! I relaxed the hug a little when I heard them make some funny sighing sounds. Probably squeezed them too hard, I'm always doing that. Scootaloo shifted around a little, her tail curling over in a way that brushed right up against my thigh.
I quickly let go and beamed at the pair of them before I could blush too hard from what Scootaloo was doing. “In that case, let me pick up the whole bill for lunch. It's the least I can do.” I slipped my way between them and lead the way to the cashier with a spring in my step. A loud clap sounded from somewhere behind me. I paused and glanced around at the other tables.
“Did someponies just high-five?”
“Er, nope!”
“Not us!”